The Rise Before the Fall
by Julie-Anna Lee
Summary: Merc joked about having had a cheating ex-wife. I'd like to think this is the story of his estranged wife. Told in wife's POV.


**The Rise Before the Fall**

_Disclaimer_: Inspired by EA/DICE's Mirror's Edge. Characters and game rights not owned by writer except for the character, "Lara".

_Note_: This scene takes place the night before Kate Connors is rescued by her sister, Faith. This story is told from Lara's POV. Formerly rated M for suggested sexual content (at least it's more graphic in my mind) but wanted to keep the same rating as in the game.

The night is clear as the bright twinkling white stars shine through the dark sky. The air is comfortable with a cool breeze. I lay on my crisp white sheets on my stomach looking out my bedroom window. I have a wonderful view of the pristine cement city from my modest-size condo built into a towering steel and white concrete high-rise. I catch a glimpse of myself faintly reflected on the window. My wavy chestnut brown hair lays softly about my head and my green eyes pierce back at me. Then my thoughts flash back to him.

He is known as Mercury or just Merc for short. We grew up in the same neighborhood and were high-school friends that didn't act on our feelings until college. We loved the outdoors and running so we naturally took to parkour and free-running as exercise; as sport. Merc became focused on politics and activism, and I finished my Bachelor degree in journalism. After we married, I was on my way to get my Masters and we had a humble house near the edge of the city. At this time, society, the City, our home,...were changing.

Five years before the November Riots, I was working for a mainstream article group. As a few years gone by, Merc became passionately involved with forming a group called Runners that aimed to avoid the closely monitored communications the City was progressing to. My work place did not know I moonlighted as a Runner. That would be taboo. I kept working in the city quietly but went home to support and make a difference in these changes. I wanted to make sense of it all. It was getting all too blurry.

I had my first serious fall the year before the Riots began. I only broke my left wrist but I lost our baby. I didn't know we were pregnant. We were hoping for a daughter.

The Riots came and gone. Change sped up. Our house was listed to be demolished, then Merc and I went our separate ways. I've been in the city ever since.

Now I stand in front of a large shell of an emptied out AC tower unit known as Mercury's Hideout or Merc's Lair for short. Lights are off. It looks like no one is home, but I'm taking a chance. Maybe I just need to be in there. I am dressed warmly with my hair pulled up in a ponytail wearing a black fitted hoodie, black stretch pants, and shoes I wore when I was a Runner. I smile to myself of the happy memories we had shared in that secret hollow space. I take a deep breath of the clean night air and sprint toward the side of the round white structure. I run pass the locked side entrance, up the side of the structure, grab a hold of piping, dig my toes into whatever grip I could find, and pull myself up onto the top of the unit. On top of the lair I gently stretch the tingle out of my left wrist as it has not been the same after the accident. There is a vent in the middle with a currently inactive large fan. Seeing a fairly large porthole near the vent, I hop gently onto the structure and quietly slip down through. It is dark inside.

"Why are you here?" I hear him ask behind me. I take a deep breath and turn slowly to face him. I softly answer, "You know why."

I could see him looking at me in the dark though my eyes were still adjusting. I could feel his presence, giving me goosebumps. From the corner of my eye I see little blinks of colored lights come from the middle of the room. There stands a round computer surveillance desk a former Runner now Tracker, like Merc, would use. He didn't move.

"How is she?" I ask breaking silence as my eyes settle on the CPUs, monitors, and equipment. Merc still didn't move. "She's fine. She's getting her sister soon." He pause and nods to his desk. "She's a fighter."

I hear his soft smile then it went away. At my work, my heart would skip a beat when I hear anything that might be in connection with Merc. My heart has been skipping plenty of beats recently and I just stay quiet, downplaying my role and trying to blend in with the background. The night is quiet. My eyes then turn back to him. I see him clearer now. He wears his usual white button-up shirt with the long sleeves rolled up his forearms; a red tee underneath, dark gray jog pants with a red stripe on the sides, and white athletic shoes. I could make out his short blonde-graying hair and the soft wrinkles around his light brown eyes...he suddenly steps forward and crushes me against him. I gasp and wrap my arms around his muscled torso. His body hasn't seem to have changed. He breathes in my hair. "I've missed you...it's been so long...you don't come as much anymore."

I feel tears threatening to fall from my eyes and I try to hold them back. He smells faintly of cigarettes and more of soap. "I...you know it hurts...". I feel him nod into my shoulder. Merc then pulls my head back to look at me as he wipes a falling tear from my cheek with his thumb. I know it hurts him too. He then picks me up in his arms and makes his way down to the lower level where his bed is located. I wrap my arms around his neck, as if I was hanging on to him for dear life.

It is also dark here save for the soft light of the bright white moon showing through the horizontal slats around the sides of the structure. I smile. His bed isn't made. I softly shake my head at him. "You haven't changed." Merc responds with a smile, "Well you know how I can be like with certain things...". I look up at him as he sits me down in the middle of our bed he had salvaged from the house we had shared. He leans in and I feel his weight dip into the mattress and his lips touch mine. I feel my heart flutter and hear his breathing change. I reach forward to pull at his shirt. I could feel his heat radiating off his body. I miss his touch so much, I want to feel his heat envelope me. After his shirt comes off, my eyes scan the tattoos on his arms. The memories rush back of the times I've seen the tats and recall the stories and meanings each one has. Our hearts were beating fast and hard.

We make love passionately but in silence save for soft moans, breaths, and each other's names upon our lips. Nothing matters except for what we are feeling. Our heat, the gentleness, the roughness,...

Dawn is breaking. I lay between the soft crumpled sheets on my stomach with my back exposed. I feel the weight and warmth of Merc beside me as he rolls toward me and props himself up onto his side on his arm. His gentle fingers lazyily trace my back tattoo that starts near the base of my neck in a scroll-work like design ending at the base of my spine in a stylized "Runners Mark". The tag depicts an eye symbolizing the "Runner's Vision" and is used as various markers. It's the same tag that Merc wears proudly on the side of his left shoulder, and Faith bravely wears around her right eye.

I leave for the city and for work later that morning. Since I have come to work late, I stay later than usual. I am alone as there were few co-workers around. The sterile-like office space does not affect me much as thoughts from last night brings a smile to my lips and a somersault to my belly.

Suddenly, I hear something on the wire from a colleague's nearby office. I don't excuse myself nor clock out. I am sweating and my heart is racing. After mixing up public transport and some running, I find myself near Merc's Lair. It looked like a mess from the outside. Gray smoke wafts from the unit. I then hide myself as I see the CPF (City Protection Force) coming out from the structure. I watch helpless as Kate is being taken again. I had to stop myself from running in there as Faith has appeared. She has never seen me and nor would I want her to meet me this way. Once she left for her sister, I hop up and into the structure, kicking off my heels in the process and almost ripping my dark gray skirt suit. Strands of hair is sticking out of my up-do. I find Merc on the floor. Tears fill my vision and I had to blink them away. I knew leading a Runner's life is risky and can get you killed by miscalculation or by the government, but that doesn't lessen the pain. I fall onto my knees beside him, lay my head on his chest and continue to cry. I suddenly feel a hand on my head and I lift my head to look at him. He uses all his strength to smile at me. I then lean and kiss him for the last time.


End file.
